AP Poll: Florida State picking up ground on Alabama and Oregon after Week 10

Jimbo Fisher's Seminoles are still the No. 3 team in the country after routing Miami in Week 10. (Steve Cannon/AP)

After Florida State dismantled Miami 41-14 on Saturday to pick up its second win over a top-10 foe, the Seminoles are inching closer to an all-important top-two ranking in the final season before the College Football Playoff. The 'Noles picked up six first-place votes after handing the Hurricanes their first loss. The latest AP Poll didn't see much movement as a whole, as the Week 10 slate didn't offer much in the way of major upsets.

Ohio State routed Purdue 56-0 and remains No. 4 in the rankings. But as long as Alabama, Oregon and Florida State keep winning, it seems unlikely that coach Urban Meyer's team will crack the top two, regardless of its margin of victory. Further down the poll, Oklahoma State climbed to No. 15 after a 52-34 win over Texas Tech, which fell to No. 25.

The complete AP Poll is below, with first-place votes in parentheses.

1. Alabama (52)

2. Oregon (2)

3. Florida State (6)

4. Ohio State

5. Baylor

6. Stanford

7. Auburn

8. Clemson

9. Missouri

10. LSU

11. Texas A&M

12. Oklahoma

13. South Carolina

14. Miami

15. Oklahoma State

16. UCLA

17. Fresno State

18. Michigan State

19. UCF

20. Louisville

21. Wisconsin

22. Northern Illinois

23. Arizona State

24. Notre Dame

25. Texas Tech

Here are three quick thoughts from this week's rankings:

• The Hurricanes fell to No. 14 from No. 7 after losing to Florida State, and their drop was largely expected. That said, Saturday's 41-14 result might have said more about how dominant the Seminoles are in 2013. Florida State continues to look like an elite team, and it's cutting down any opponent standing in its path.

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• Plenty of people will be invested in Thursday night's Oklahoma-Baylor and Stanford-Oregon matchups. The results all but guarantee some shake-up in the polls (and the BCS standings) after Week 11. This is the time of year when things start to get murky. If Baylor were to dominate Oklahoma, for example, the high-scoring Bears could make a case for national title contention.
• Michigan State jumped to No. 18 after the Spartans' defense overwhelmed rival Michigan on Saturday. Coach Mark Dantonio's team is in prime position to win the Big Ten Legends Division and potentially present Ohio State with its toughest test in the Buckeyes' quest for a second consecutive undefeated season. Even with a shaky offense, the Spartans should be favored in their remaining games against Nebraska (Nov. 16), Northwestern (Nov. 23) and Minnesota (Nov. 23). A potential 11-1 record entering the Big Ten title game would be quite an impressive feat.

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